Saturday, November 7, 2026 · Customer reviews of US businesses
The Fair Hearing score
Excellent
213 reviews
Black SpectaclesSelect a line to read only those reviews.
Honesty, pricing, process and quality scores appear once 5 customers have rated them.
Black Spectacles is where architects come to learn how to accomplish their next big thing. We're the only learning platform created entirely for architects. That means we know this industry inside and out, and so do our instructors. Our simple, easy-to-digest and in-depth video tutorials are taught by architects and designers who work on world-class projects. Whether it's getting licensed or learning new software to keep your skills current, everyone at Black Spectacles is committed to helping you get there.
Black Spectacles (blackspectacles.com) has 213 customer reviews on The Fair Hearing, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.
213 approved reviews, newest moderated first
phenomenal experience!!!
By Nicholas W.
Response from Black Spectacles· Jan 13, 2022
Thank you so much for leaving a wonderful review! We are thrilled to have provided a phenomenal experience! - Jessica, Black Spectacles Team
As a working project manager, this program is great because the basics are easy to review or easy to skip. The fundamentals are great and it was exactly what I needed to get through the last hurdles of the test. The best part about this program is learning how the ARE asks questions and the expectations in the answers - no matter how much experience you have, this is invaluable knowledge for the test!
By Ashley W.
Response from Black Spectacles· Jan 13, 2022
Thank you so much for this fantastic review - We are thrilled to hear how beneficial our services were to passing the exams! I wish you success in all of your adventures. - Jessica, Black Spectacles Team
Highly recommend the practice exams. No other study material closely resembles the experience and difficulty of taking the actual exams.
By Zaid A.
Response from Black Spectacles· Jan 13, 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a wonderful review on our Practice Exams! - Jessica, Black Spectacles Team
Great product, Great customer service!
By Zach
Response from Black Spectacles· Dec 9, 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to review Black Spectacles! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed our services! -Jessica, Black Spectacles
I've been using Black Spectacles as part of my study routine for the last several years now. I can honestly say it is the best resource available to pass the ARE! The practice exams are invaluable! I would highly recommend Black Spectacles to anyone serious about passing the ARE!!
By Dave
Response from Black Spectacles· Dec 9, 2021
Thank you for such a wonderful review! This means so much to our team and to our future users. -Black Spectacles Team
It is an awesome method, the only not-so bright-point that I would mention is that in the practice exams the questions are not as deep/complex as the ones you find on the real exams, so you end up filing those too hard. It would be better to add more complexity to the practice exams so you can be really trained for the actual ones.
By Juancho H.
Response from Black Spectacles· Dec 9, 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We truly value all of the feedback we receive so we can make improvements to our service. Thank you again! -Black Spectacles Team
Black Spectacles saved my career. After not passing the first 2 exams with other study material, I invested in Black Spectacles. The lectures are coordinated with the exams which made it very easy to identify areas needing to be strengthened. But it was the exams that I feel make Black Spectacles rise above their competitors. The exams are practically identical to the ARE and the four exams provided help grow confidence and familiarity with the exam process. Thank you again for supporting me on this journey and coaching me to success.
By R. P.
Response from Black Spectacles· Nov 11, 2021
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Congratulations on passing all of your exams! That is a major accomplishment and all of us at Black Spectacles are so happy to have provided you with the tools to success! -Black Spectacles Team
Black Spectacles is by FAR THE WORST test prep material for these exams. I would venture to say that 80%of the positive feedback on this site is BlackSpectacles manufactured. They monitor their reviews obsessively and love to either respond with passive aggressive lies or outright ban someone from the sites of review sighting falsehoods. Their customer service is highly disrespectful, and derogatory with their feedback. You MADE A BAD PRODUCT. IT HELPS NO ONE! Stop stealing people's money. The only thing they are genius at is marketing. There will be feedback underneath this comment. It will not address that the content of the exams does not align with their materials. It will not say that the CEO is a bully who cares more about his image at the AIA than actually helping his consumers. It will say NOTHING! Because that is what this TRASH is worth. Literally none of the content aligns with the exams. None of it. I only used BS for my exams and failed all of them 4 times before I realized that it wasn't me. I can quote every inch of every study material they have- its all garbage! The staff pretends they're doing you a favor by taking your money to fail. The "constant updates to materials" happens every decade, not as constant as is necessary. The staff on their team are getting fat and lazy off of your money! Please do not buy!
By Helena O.
Response from Black Spectacles· Oct 15, 2021
I’m sorry to hear about your experience studying with Black Spectacles last year, and that you didn’t find the success passing the exams with our materials that many of our customers do. While we are approved by NCARB to appropriately cover the objectives of each exam, we’re not privy to any of the actual exam questions or specific content of the exams. During your only interaction with our customer service last year, we promptly and politely issued you a full refund for the one month of access after receiving an impolite and disrespectful response to one of our marketing emails. We’re happy to interact one-on-one, as before, and we will always respond to all reviews, as is appropriate, on a public platform, but as is one of our company core values - we will take care of our people in demanding respect to our teammates at all times.
